So, we made it to Miami without a hitch - we were all concerned about our long layover at the Miami airport...well, we shouldn't have worried about too much time - we were kept busy scrambling when our TAM flight was cancelled!
Luckily we got a flight on another airline -
unluckily the flight was not as nice: TAM has some great amenities that the other didn't, like complimentary toothbrushes. Those are important on an overnight flight, particularly when your luggage gets LOST! That's right, the luggage didn't make it with us through the change in flights. We also got a bonus selective security screening - apparently when you get rebooked from a cancelled flight, it's SOP to get selectively screened. Yeah for me.We made it to Sao Paulo, but had to scramble again to catch our connecting flight to Porto Alegre - we had to fill out lost luggage forms. Finally we made it to our hotel - the Blue Tree Towers - very nice.
We spent the afternoon on a ciy tour, which to be honest, I missed most of because I kept falling asleep on the bus. I did learn about the state of Rio Grande Do Sul , which is very much like our state of Texas. Like Texas it has cowboys, called gauchos, and admires independence. There was a civil war to separate in 1835, called the War of Tatters, so now they say that they are Brazilians by choice, not neccessity. The highlight was seeing the medical worker's protest, and having it explained to me - in Portuguese - by a skateboarder I struck up a conversation with.
The day ended on a high note - dinner at a churrascaria - traditional gaucho dishes and traditional gaucho meats - sliced right at the table!
Tomorrow - Grammado and Canela
